The Carl Lewis saga continues. The nine-time Olympic gold medalist is back in the news. And, again, it’s not track related.
This time, a federal judge ruled Lewis can’t be listed on the November ballot for a state Senate seat in New Jersey. He was ruled ineligible under the state’s residency requirement.
“The durational residency requirement applies to all, regardless of economic status, race, creed, color, age, gender, and political affiliation,” wrote U.S. District Court Judge Noel Hillman in his 30-page decision. “And it applies, has been applied, and ought to be applied, equally to the famous and the obscure, to the overachiever and the pedestrian, to the athletically gifted and the passive observer”
Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno, a Republican, had previously said Lewis was ineligible because he did not meet the state’s residency requirements. U.S. District Court Judge Hillman agreed.
From nj.com:
“Hillman, who first heard the case in April, this morning ruled that state constitution’s four-year residency requirement for state Senate candidates is not unconstitutional when applied to Lewis’s case.”
Recall, a federal appeals court in Philadelphia originally allowed him to keep his name on primary election ballots – and Lewis won the New Jersey primary on June 7, 2011.
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